I'm Not Leaving

I'm Not Leaving Part 11b

This part picks up right where the last part left off. Please excuse any typos. I'll probably go back and make it better later, but I've had a lot of writers block and fatigue lately, and I was excited to get this up. Thanks again for reading, Amanda

11b/

Sonny watched as Alexis closed her eyes, squeezing them shut against the pain and the answer she didn't want to give him. She struggled to push the words out on what little air she could force into her lungs. "No. I c-can't."

Sonny stood up, placing his hand on her left arm. "Alexis."

She tried to pull her arm away, but it barely moved as she jerked from him.

"Being touched is a little too much for her right now. She's having some extreme bone pain, and her muscles are very tender. We're trying to get her stabilized so we can give her the help she needs."

He watched as Epiphany attempted to hold an oxygen mask up to her face and she pushed against it. "Alexis, I need you to take a few deep breaths with this. Come on, honey. Your body can't take much more of this."

She relented as Epiphany barely touched the mask to her skin. Afraid of making her feel trapped.

As Alexis sat up, her hair falling back, Sonny was finally able to see her face.

It was flushed from fever, her big brown eyes glassy from unshed tears. There was a fear in them that he was trying not to let reflect on his own. He needed to be strong for her.

He tried to take her in as Epiphany encouraged her to breathe in and out slowly.

He couldn't believe this was the same woman in the ER not so many hours ago. Her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, wearing jeans, and a white button up, going toe-to-toe with a police officer over the rights of his son. Or maybe he could. This amazing woman he was blessed to finally have in the place he had always wanted her in his life. More than his attorney. More than his friend.

She was shivering. Her hands still grasping the sheets. Hands dotted with tiny bruises that looked like fingerprints and as his gaze moved upwards there was more of the same on her wrists. Her wrists that were scraped and bore matching bracelets of deep bruising.

Fuck. Who in the hell had she been left alone with that would do this to her? She was already suffering so much. If only I had been here, he thought. If only ...

He shook his head. That way of thinking would do nothing right now and right now is when he could help.

"Lex ..." He began, but paused as she lifted her right hand, moving slowly up to pull away the mask covering her mouth.

"Mor-Morgan." She whispered. Laying back on the bed and turning slowly onto her side with a side groan of pain, her back facing him.

Epiphany put a comforting hand on his shoulder as she saw him staring at the women he loved. "I tried. She didn't want us to come get you. She didn't want to pull you away from your son." She dropped her voice lower. "She's in a bad place right now Sonny, and to make her better we're going to need her to be responsive." They watched as Alexis was breathing better, but they could still hear her gasping slightly, her body still hitching every few seconds as her airways seemed to close up on her. "The medicine that we gave her to strengthen her immune system is usually preceded by an antihistamine a few days ahead of the injection to counteract the bone pain she's feeling intensified right now, she has a 103 degree fever, and ... well, and I can fill you in on the rest later. The ER was over staffed and we're bringing Nurse Webber up to be with Alexis. The hospital manager signed off on it. We wanted her to be with someone who she trusts ... Do you think you can calm her? Nothing we have tried has really worked.